Candy Hearts
by The Ink Is Blood
Summary: Antonio was promised a kiss. God forbid anyone be in the way of that. A one-shot from "The Stages of Insanity", but it can be read alone. Warning: Sadistic tendencies, High-school drama/revenge, twisted love, and promises (that were eventually kept).


**A/N: This is an one-shot that takes place during "The Stages of Insanity" when Lovino and Antonio are still in High School. But it can be read as a standalone piece. **

For a split second I thought I was in bed, floating gently back into a world that loved me. I mean_, why wouldn't it? _

"Look at this, chicas. " A voice echoed, startling me out of my thoughts. "Looks like this one still believes she's still in her safe little home, with her beautiful little accessories, and _perfect_ family." The voice boomed getting louder with every word.

I struggled to open my eyes, but it was useless. I tried getting up, but I could feel wires sticking into me with each movement. I tried to open my mouth, but it felt like it was stitched shut. _Oh, god._ I realized. _This fucker is going to kill me._

"Hola, perra." The voice growled angrily into my ear. "I'm so glad you finally decided to join us. I'm sure you're curious as to where you are, but you see I would really hate to repeat the speech I had just given to your friends. It was so long, and it would truly be pointless since you probably wouldn't listen to it anyway." A hand roughly gripped my cheek, forcing me to move my head to the side. "It's a waste really. You're truly a beauty, but your personality is weak at best. A true pity…" The voice wavered as the hand released my cheek.

_Silence._ It felt like hours before anyone spoke above whimpers and muted cries. No one said a word..though if they were as trapped as I was I doubt they could.

"As **most** of you know, we're going to play a little game." The voice barked, breaking the abysmal silence. "When I place the jar under your hand you better pick a heart. If you don't, well then the punishment will be **much** worse. Now, we'll start with you."

_What the fuck is going on? _ I wanted to scream. I waited to see if the voice had spoken to me, for some kind of sign, but nothing.

"Ooooh. Mi amor made this one!" The voice cooed. "He's so cute, you'd never know he knew anything about dissection!"

_Di-di-dissection?! _

"Well, let me go get ready. Don't move." The voice laughed manically, amused at his own joke.

_Oh god, he's not really going to _disect_ someone is he? This has to be some joke…some sick sick joke. Right, __**right**__?_

Suddenly I heard a cart being wheeled in, things shuffling on it with each movement. "Oh, did you miss me?" The voice joyfully cheered somewhere off in the distance. A piercing scream filled the room. "Shut the fuck up, puta! You'll only make the stiches come out faster, and I really want to avoid as much blood loss as I can right now. Ugh, you'd think people would be more considerate?"

I tried to open my eyes, but a white searing pain met my vision. I needed to find a way out…I needed to get away.

"All done! What? You used to be so talkative! Always talking about mi amor as if he were a piece of shit. It's so strange how people only understand the importance of their senses when they're gone. I bet you want to say so much right now, but since you wouldn't stop screaming your lips are mostly torn off. Don't worry, they weren't anything to really miss. Now, I think it's time to have some fun!"

This was really happening. God help us.

I tried not to listen to the sound of clothes being torn off or the wretched sobs echoing off in the distance. It was better if I tried to block out at least some of it.

"First we make a Y incision." The voice decided, bringing me back from my rotating thoughts. A piercing scream met my ears, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination as to what was happening.

"I wonder how many organs I can remove before you're dead…" The voice pondered. "Let's see if I can take out a kidney." The screaming never died, but the voice was etched so deeply into my brain that the screams became a soundtrack to his disguisting monologue.

"Yay I did it! This is kinda like Operation! I need to tell mi amor about this, he might even want to play next time!" The voice happily rang.

"Now let's see about your small intestines!" It didn't last long. Apparently one can only take out a kidney and small intestines before its over.

And despite it being one of the worst ways to die, I couldn't help but think about how lucky she was.

"Round Two! Pick a heart, any heart!" The voice yelled, closer than before. I tried to feel for something, just to be sure, but again I felt nothing. "Ah, ah ah! It isn't your turn yet missie. You have to wait your for the others to finish!" The voice cheerfully scolded.

I could hear someone sobbing next to me, if I had listened close enough I probably could have felt the vibrations of her sorrow as well.

"Now, come on. You have to pick a heart! If you don't I'll just have to get creative, and I doubt you'd want that." The voice pressed.

For a split second the sobbing stopped.

"There we are! Oooh, I made this one! We're going to have so much fun! But first, let's take care of those eyes." More screams, mixed with sentences. _Wait.._

"Please I have a family! My mom, s-she'll give you anything you want! I swear! Just please let me go!" She was begging, actually begging. I didn't see the point in trying anymore. We weren't people to him, merely playthings now. That poor girl..

"Oh really?" The voice replied. "Anything I want? How about you give me your eyes? You know the same ones that helped you take those pictures of mi amor while he was being tortured by your beloved boyfriend. You do remember, don't you? If not, I'll help jog your memory." I heard some kind of squelshing noise, and then more screams.

"One eye. So, I wonder. How is this blob of tissue going to help me? Or better yet mi amor. You do remember my beloved, don't you? If not, allow me to jog your memory. This eye here helped you take those photos of mi amor while that boyfriend of yours humped him seven ways to Sunday. Thankfully he wasn't penetrated or I would have to waste more time with you. But aren't we glad that isn't the case?" I could hear his demeanted smile.

"Anyway, just an F.Y.I here but your boyfriend is dead. You shouldn't be surprised, I mean, he did hurt my boyfriend quite severely. Mi amor can't even kiss me because of it. Thinks he's too "unworthy" to be able to share such a thing because of what you two did. But good news, he's promised that after I've finished you all off he'll let me kiss him! Oh, how beautiful it will be!" The voice rang happily.

"Oh I'm rambling, huh? How silly!. Long story short, I put him in a whore house. The group he was in had to deal with a bunch of sadistic rapists/pedophiles that really thought a lot of him. I think they're still able to use his corpse, so I guess he did some good in this world."

I could hear gagging noises as if she was trying to vomit.

"Poor thing can't even vomit!" The voice laughed. "Do you think its because of all that food that you didn't eat? Stupid, stupid coño. Now I'm just going to open your other eye, so try not to move."

The sobbing continued, but I could hear it slowly falter with her pulse.

"Open your other eye before I take it!" The voice commanded. "Oooh what a beautiful eye you have! So bloodshot and dead! **Marvelous**."

"Now the heart said to, "Drown you in Sulfuric Acid", but I'm starting to think that'll be too good for you. So I'm going to pick. You should have just kept your mouth shut, ya know. Your going to regret that decision now." The voice taunted.

Footsteps echoed around us, and out of our reach. Minutes passed, and all I wanted to do was comfort her in some way. But I couldn't. All I could do was lie here as I waited my own fate. Her sobs were becoming so much weaker, so so much weaker.

And then I could hear glass bottles being handled, and the footsteps stopped close to me. "Now, this is what is going to happen. I'm going to put down three bottles, and I'm going to let you pick one of the three. Two of the bottles are filled with poison, the third one is filled with water. You'll only have your sight to tell you which one is which so pick carefully."

Everything became silent then, and for several minutes I wasn't sure if she had picked correctly or not. But then I heard it…."Gaaaahhhhh! N-nnoooo!" Choked screams echoed the room, leaving me paralyzed in fear.

"Ha!" The voice began. "You thought I was being sincere? Even if you had chosen right you would have met a pretty pissed Brown recluse spider sooner or later. Oh, look at you! Writhing in agony! Do you think that's how mi amor felt when you took those pictures? So full of agony that he couldn't help but claw at his own face like you are doing right now? Trying desperately to get rid of the pain that just won't go away? **Do you?** Well don't worry, you'll only be like this for a few more hours. Try to keep the noise at a whisper though, I still have one more game to play." The voice laughed.

_This is it. I'm dead._

"Hello, hello!" The voice sickeningly dripped next to my ear. "Have you enjoyed the games so far? I bet you have you little sadist you! Now its your turn, pick a heart and then we'll play."

I stood still for a few seconds, comprehending the effects that picking a heart might have. But in the end almost anything was better than the last girl's punishment. So taking the last shred of sanity I had left I reached out my hand and was met with a jar filled with candy hearts. Picking one up, it was quickly snatched out of my hand. My lungs were met with nothing, as I waited with bated breath.

"The last and final round, I wonder what is in store for you! Mmmhhh well this one is one of my better ones. I'm so glad you picked this one! It just seems to fit so well!" The voice gleefully spoke.

I felt something cold hit my hand, something metallic. As he rearranged my fingers I realized quickly as to what it was.

"Now here's the rules of this game. If you fire this gun, I'll let you go. If you don't, well, I'll just have to make up something better. That's it. You should feel very lucky." The voice spoke, sounding slightly annoyed.

_Maybe I had beat it? I could get out of this! I could live!_

Thinking little else of it I pulled the trigger towards the voice's direction. I heard something fall hard to the ground.

_I had won! I was going to s-_

"Good shot." It echoed so violently in my ear, that I wanted to scream. "Now I'm going to take all of these bindings and stiches off. If you start to scream it'll tear, so god forbid you make it easier on me."

_What had I just shot? W-who had I just shot? Oh god, oh dear god!_

"Alright, I'm done. Go ahead and leave I'm done with you now."

Before I would have jumped at those words, but now…now everything was different.

"For god's sakes woman get the fuck up! I have to get back to mi amor!" The voice growled.

Frightened I opened my eyes, and was met with the eyes of a God. Stern yet beautiful, they seemed to bore into my own. "Leave before I play another game." he threatened.

When I began to get up I saw the body I had shot. I wanted to look away, but something in me drove me closer to it. So when I kneeled next to the body, I brushed the hair away from the woman's face and…

"Mama."

"Heh. Didn't think it was all just going to end, just like that, now did you?" He snickered. "How stupid could you be?"

"No, no, no! MAMA! PLEASE WAKE UP! **PLEASE!**"

"This must be so hard for you! I'd _almost_ feel sorry for you had you not done this exact same thing to my beautiful Lovino. You do remember Lovi, do you not?"

"L-Lovi.."

"Yeah, Lovino. Don't act like you care though, we all know you don't. Wasn't it you, in fact, that created the greatest sin here? When Lovino needed you the most, you stood among the crowd that watched him fall. Are you that much of a lousy friend that you couldn't even help him in any of the countless fights that you witnessed? From what he told me, you two were thick as thieves in Middle School. But once the popular kids looked your way, that was it. You dropped him like he was just some corpse in a field. So, don't you think that this is a fitting punishment? An eye for an eye, a friend for a mother? "

"B-but he's not dead. **HE'S NOT DEAD** A-AND MY MOTHER IS?! HOW IS THAT FAIR!?"

"Well, let's see. You hurt my everything, and I'll fuck you up. That seems like a fair deal to me. Now if you'd leave now I have to clean this up before Lovino arrives."

"N-no, I can't! I CAN'T LEAVE HER! I can't, I just can't. Please don't make me, _please_." She begged. _I hate when they beg._ Antonio thought. _Such a waste of time. Oh well, maybe just this once. _He grinned.

"Well, fine then. Stay here as long as you like then. I'll just leave you and Miss Poison over there for a few days." Antonio walked to the exit, gripping the doorknob in one hand as he spoke. "Let's see how long that selfless bullshit will last. Sooner or later you'll have to eat, and we both know that self preservation is blind to the fact that society doesn't consider your own mother's corpse food."

Shutting the door behind him he could hear the girl's sudden banging on the door. Had he cared he would have listened to her pleas for release, but he had better things on his mind. Like that kiss for instance.


End file.
